Drew Dixon
President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida resulting from Tropical Storm Debby, ordering federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts. Officials expect emergency conditions to continue for several days.
The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures,” the declaration stated.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has also issued a state of emergency declaration and said at a Sunday morning briefing in Tallahassee, “We are absolutely going to see a lot of rainfall, saturation, flooding events, and power outages.”
As of 8 a.m. Sunday, Debby was centered about 155 miles southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts up to 60 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the storm will continue to move northwest at about 13 mph and could land in Florida’s Big Bend area Tuesday morning. The system is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane Sunday afternoon while it is still in the Gulf of Mexico.
Biden’s emergency declaration authorizes under Title V of the Stafford Act, “to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.”
Public assistance emergency protective measures provide limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care, including evacuation and shelter support at 75% federal funding for the counties of Alachua, Baker, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Wakulla.
Public assistance emergency protective measures provide limited to direct federal assistance at 75% federal funding for the counties of Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, DeSoto, Escambia, Flagler, Gadsden, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Polk, Santa Rosa, Seminole, St. Johns, Volusia, Walton, and Washington.
John E. Brogan of FEMA has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used in this report.
9 comments
Andy
August 4, 2024 at 10:30 am
Thank you Mr President, our Governor ran out of here to raise money for a felon paid for by, all the citizens and businesses’ insurance premiums! The highest in the nation!
Yrral
August 4, 2024 at 11:57 am
Tallahassee will be in the eyewall about 3 o’clock tomorrow,with hurricane strength wind may be Cat 2, Debby is hellbent to outdo her friend Beryl
rick whitaker
August 4, 2024 at 12:26 pm
the desantis quote was childish. can’t florida impeach desantis?
Debra
August 4, 2024 at 12:56 pm
Hi Rick, My dream would be to impeach Desantis. He is a lost immature child. He will never be our president bc of the way he berates President Biden and others. I am older and knew him as a young child in Dunedin. He never thanks anyone for anything. Maybe his folks didn’t teach him manners.
rick whitaker
August 5, 2024 at 2:38 pm
debra, as an older adult, he never thanks anyone. he is an obvious sociopath.
Michael K
August 4, 2024 at 1:18 pm
Thank you, President Biden.
ELVIS The BIG VOICE On The RIGHT
August 4, 2024 at 1:30 pm
Thank you Barak 0 for ordering 8iden’s handlers to say that 8iden declared a Federal Emergency for The Great Free State of Florida home of AMERICA’S GOVORNOR and POTUS of the USA USA USA from 2028 – 2036 ************LADIES and GENTLEMEN I give you Ron “THE RONALD” along with his Beautiful Wife CASEY DESANTIS !!!!!!!!
AND THE CROUD GOES WILD!!!!!!,
ELVIS
Debra Wood
August 5, 2024 at 1:12 pm
Desantis still hasn’t cleaned up Ft. MYERS FROM IAN. PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN THEIR DRIVEWAYS IN CAMPERS WAITING ✋️ ON INSURANCE REBATES. DESANTIS TOOK MONEY FROM INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR HIS FAILED CAMPAIGN. 3.7 % VOTES IN FLORIDA for Desantis. Florida is a neglected state. Biden takes care of some of our needs. Desantis is responsible for the insurance here. He is missing in action as always. Casey wants to be on the cover of a magazine. Why does she deserve that?? She is moderately pretty but many many other ladies are better looking with substantial experience and accomplishments for the betterment of human beings across the world. They both need to go to polishing school for table manners and then to teach them how to dress for all occasions. They both look sloppy. #NEVER DESANTIS
rick whitaker
August 5, 2024 at 3:28 pm
the crowd goes wild, earl pitts just choked on his own lies, the crowd cheers even louder. earl pitts big voice on the right just shit his pants